Biographical drama based on the book Seven Deadly Sins about the rise and fall of Lance Armstrong through his use of performance enhancing drugs and the crusade of journalist David Walsh to bring the cover up to light.

Kudos to Ben Foster who actually took performance enhancing drugs while filming the movie to fully get into character and he does look uncannily like Armstrong but the film seems to skim along through the story rather than really go into any depth over how and why most of the events took place. He meets his wife and gets married in a thirty second segment and she’s never seen again so it’s only really Armstrong and Floyd Landis who are given any real character development. Even Chris O’Dowd as David Walsh feels like a secondary character rather than one of the central pivots of the whole tale being told. This leads to the movie making it look like Armstrong turns up, gets beaten, takes drugs and effortlessly wins when in fact there were a number of years between his arrival in Europe and his Tour wins and while he did win seven Tours it was still a three week slog each time.

If you are interested in cycling and can remember the events depicted in the movie then this film will be of interest to you but if you’re not a fan of cycling if may fall short.

DJ Speaks Rating: 5 out of 10

Jesse Eisenberg stars as a convenience store worker in a tiny West Virginia town who spends his days stoned and trying his best to do right by his girlfriend while creating ideas for a graphic novel all through which, in generally, he fails miserably. What he doesn’t know is that he is a man with a past and when his ex-boss, who finds out that he has been marked for termination, unknowingly pays him a visit and unlocks repressed memories via a secret codeword it all kicks off in spectacular style.

Part Jason Bourne, part Cheech & Chong, American Ultra motors along with an ever increasing body count totalled up using a variety of unusual everyday items but it all still feels predictable and there’s nothing new here that will stay with you after the end credits roll.

Both Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart do okay with their roles but, when it comes, the secondary twist is so left of center that it doesn’t really make any sense and given that the whole film is told in a flashback means that any suspense or intrigue as to what the outcome of our protagonist will be is put to bed in the opening minute.

DJ Speaks Rating: 5 out of 10

From the opening use of Juice Newton during a hilarious opening credit scene to the closing notes of Careless Whisper with the nod to Ferris Bueller, Deadpool never feels like its trying to take itself seriously. With constant fourth wall breaks and smart ass comments on all aspects of pop culture from Superheroes to Ryan Reynolds other movies and even the Spin Doctors (remember them?), it’s a refreshing  entry into the genre.

All credit to Ryan Reynolds who absolutely nails it as Wade Wilson and after his debacles in Green Lantern, Wolverine and Blade Trinity it took balls for him to have another stab in a Superhero film but he made this a project and never backed away from the challenge of getting this movie made and he plays it through every emotion almost flawlessly. The jumps from current to past and back again are well done and do a good job of building the back story without slowing the movie down as much as they could have, plus the action sequences, the use of both slow motion shots and the CGI are all excellent.

On the negative side the use of the secondary X-Men characters felt a bit shoehorned in just so that the movie could have a place in the Marvel Universe and both Angel Dust and Ajax just left like generic villains instead of building on the mutants characters that they are, although both of these points are brilliantly ripped apart in the movie anyway.

Overall, while not perfect it’s a must watch for any fan of the genre and with the large volume of upcoming superhero movies this year, it’s a great start.

DJ Speaks Rating: 7 out of 10

Based on the TV show of the same name (but without the brilliant synthesizer based theme tune by The Police’s Stewart Copeland) Denzel Washington stars as Robert McCall a mild mannered, DIY type store worker with a hidden past which gives him some very unique black ops style skills. Well respected by his co-workers but suffering insomnia, (presumably from whatever he done in his previous life and the death of his wife) he spends his nights reading classic books in an all night diner and it is here that he reluctantly strikes up a friendship with a young prostitute who uses the diner as a base between jobs.

When she ends up on the wrong end of a severe beating at the hand of her pimp, McCall takes offence to this and uses his former employment skills with deadly force, dealing with both the pimp and his gang, who have connections with big time Eastern European gangsters. From there it becomes a cat and mouse game between the gangsters, corrupt cops and our protagonist as he builds up the body count in the name of extreme justice.

The film teams up Washington with director Antoine Fuqua for their first outing together since Training Day and the combination works well again although not to the same levels. Washington will rarely let you down with his performances and once again he’s spot on as the man with the shady past who can switch from a killing machine to the man with a smile and a heart of gold almost instantaneously.

While it’s no Taxi Driver or even Man On Fire (despite having some similar traits to both) it’s still a very enjoyable action movie with a particular shout out to the Dead Rising like DIY tool kills in the last 20 minutes. The Equalizer 2 anybody?

DJ Speaks Rating: 6 out of 10

Yet another ‘based of a true story’ movie, which seem to be second only to the number of super hero movies at the moment, and yet another collaboration between Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro and director David O.Russell so the bar is set high from the start. Unfortunately while not being a bad movie in itself this lacks the heart of Silver Linings Playbook and the style of American Hustle so it falls a bit flat in comparison.

Lawrence stars as Joy Mangano, a separated mother who struggles to juggle her chaotic home life and work life with the ever growing needs of her family and who’s life seems to be a roller coaster of ups and downs with each down dragging her further into the mire until such time as she manages to invent a ‘wonder mop’ which looks like it’s the answer to all her prayers. Of course it wouldn’t be a Russell movie unless there was a sting in the tale but, one with the promise of a final last chance at self redemption which is grasped with both hands when Joy finally decides to stop listening to the negativity and bad advise which has plagued her life and finally realises who she can turn to.

The cast here does a great job with each family member adding their own quirks which contributes to paint a picture of a completely dysfunctional household. Bradley Cooper is very underutilised but believable as a QVC executive who takes a punt on Joy’s product, De Niro is more central as her cynical father yet plays the role with almost a quiet reluctance which adds character but it’s Lawrence who takes centre stage and, despite playing an older, more mature woman in her role, gives a superbly believable performance through both the highs and lows and steals every scene she is in.

DJ Speaks Rating: 6 out of 10